Vaporizing apparatus



Oct. l5, 1929. 4 D. E. FowLEl 1,732,125

VAPORIZING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 www Lm@Howl/Mad Patented @et 15, 1929 UNrriznh sTATs P'raNT- OFFICE DANIEL E.FOVTLER, 0F EL PASO, TEXAS, ASSGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO FRANK R. MCKAY .ANDONE-THIRD TO NETTIE IVI.. I-IAWKINS, BOTH 0F EL PASO, TEXAS VAPORIZINGAPFARATUS Application filed August 13 The present invention relates toimprovements in vaporizing devices, and has for an object to conservefuel and promote economy in the operation of internal combustionengines.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved vaporizingdevice in which heated air is admitted to a liquid body of the fuel andcirculated through suoli body in order to highly charge the air withthis volatile fuel substance.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an improvedvaporizing device in conjunction with the vacuum or other fuel receivingtanks, in which provision is made for the shutting olf of the air to thefuel body during the interval that the vacuum tank is being replenishedwithy fuel.

With the foregoing and other objects inl view, which will readily becomeapparent to those skilled in this art, the inventionV will be more fullydescribed hereinafter and more fully pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like parts throughout theseveral views, y

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through an improved vacuum tankconstructed accoi-ding to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-'-2 in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is also a vertical section takenA through the improved vacuumtank with the parts in another position, and

Figure A isa horizontal section taken on the line 1 4C in Figure 1.Referring more` particularly to the drawings, 5 designates a vacuum orother tank having a pipe connection 6 communicating with the fuel tankusually found at the rear of motor vehicles. The pipe 6 enters the upperportion of the vacuum tank 5 and is provided therein with a valve seat 7forreceiving the needle valve 8 carried by andr movable with the float9.

The stem of the needle valve 8 may be guided in any appropriate manner,as, for instance by the use of projecting pins 10 engaging in elongatedslots 11 formed in the free end portions of the swinging guide bars 12which are pivoted to brackets 13 mounted within the upper portions ofthe vacuum tank 5. The iioat- 9 is preferably housed within a separatecompartment 14 constructed within the vacuum tank and having freecommunication with the liquid space of the vacuum tank as by means ofthe openings or perfor-ations 15 formed in the bottom of the compartmentstructure. This bottom of the compartment structure is also preferablyprovided with a bearing 16 for slidably receiving a rod 17 coupled tomove with the float 9 and projecting downwardly from the lower portionthereof. The rod 17 at its lower end is provided with one or more pins18 for engaging in t-he slot 19 provided in the end of the lvalve bar20. This valve bar is pivoted upon a bracket 21 carried by anyappropriate part within the vacuum tank, as, for instance, by the airinlet pipe 22. Affixed tol the bar 2O are a number of needle valves'23projecting downwardly and positioned to engage seats formed upon theupper ends of hollow jet tubes 24;.

These jet tubes are preferably graduated in height to compensate for theswinging movement of the valve bar 20, whereby the valves may all besimultaneously moved to a closed position, as shown in Figure 3, or toan open position, as indicated in Figure 1. The hollow jets 2l1aremounted in the upper portion o f a horizontal air pipe 25 v.whichcommunicates at one end with the vertical air pipe 22. The free end ofthe pipe 25 is closed as by a cap 26. A heating coil 27, or other formof heater, is mounted in the pipe 25 with its take-0E pipe 28 extendingthrough the cap 26.

The vertical air inlet pipe 22, which is preferably'of considerablylarger diameter than the horizontal airpipe 25, extends at it-s upperend through the roof of the vacuum tank and is in ldirect opencommunication with the outside atmosphere, except that an air screen orfilter 29 is preferably carried by the inlet mouth of the pipe to avoidthe entrance of dirt and other foreign matter which would be apt to clogthe air jets, valves and other moving parts. A hot water inlet pipe 30,which is in communication with a suitable 'source of hot water supplyas,y for instance, the npper portion of the engine water jacket, isbrought down into the upper end of the air inlet pipe 22 and connectedwith a coil 31 having a rela- .tively large pipe diameter. This coil 31extends for only a short distance in the upper portion of the air pipe22. At its lower end, it connects with a similar coil 32v although it ispreferably of a smaller pipe diameter.

The lower portion of the larger coil 31 also connects with a take-offpipe 33 which is extended substantially horizontally of the wall of theair tube 22 and to a position above the float compartment where the pipeis wound in one or more convolutions 34- about the valve stem 8 anddirectly beneath the discharge end 7 of the fuel inlet pipe 6, wherebythe incoming liquid fuel will be sprayed. upon the hot coil 34. At 35 isrepresented the takeolf pipe for the coil 34. This take-olf pipepreferably extends down and connects with the take-off pipe 28 for thecoil 27. A common return pipe 36 connects with both take-off pipes andacts to return the water to a low cold point inthe circuit from which itwas taken when hot by the pipe 30.

A screen 37 is shown as stretched substantially horizontally across thevacuum tank through which the incoming gasoline may descend and throughwhich the rising air bubbles are required to pass von their way to theoutlet pipe 38 which communicates with the engine. This outlet pipe 38extends into the upper portion of the t-ank, and it is provided with aconvex baille plate 39 held by appropriate means in spaced relationbelow the end of the pipe 38. This convex baffle plate 39 is mounted inconjunction with a companion baffle plate 40 held by the straps, orother fastenings, 41 from the vacuum tank, and spaced below thefirst-mentioned baffle plate 39. A central opening 42 is made in thelower baffle plate 40 to admit the rising carbureted air particlesagainst the convex surface of the upper plate 39, which will deflectsame about the edges of the plate 39 and have a tendency to precipitateany foreign matter or liquid, preventing same from getting into theoutlet pipe 38. -At the bottom of the tank is the take off pipe 43 forthe liquid gasoline to the float chamber of the carburetor. n

Tn the operation of the device, if we assume that the vacuum tank isfull of liquid fuel,

' such liquid fuel raises the float 9 to the posi.-

tion shown in Figure 1, closing the valve 8 against the valve seat 7,and preventing further inflow of liquid fuel through the pipe 6. ln thisposition of the parts, the valve rod 20 is raised and the various valves23 have been lifted from their respective seats on the jets 24, thusexposing the jets and permitting the free influx of air from the jetsinnumerous minute bubbles upwardly through the body of liquid fuelcontained in the vacuum tank. It will be remembered that this rising airhas been previously heated by contact, first, with the large coil 31,.and. subsequentlv. by circulation in and about and in contact with thesubsequent coils 32 and 27. Due to the relatively long course which theair is required to traverse in and about the lengthy coils, this air ispreheated to a high degree before it is permitted to issue from the jets24.k The heated condition of the air promotes a ready vaporization ofthe liquid fuel, and the air becomes more readily carbureted; that is,it more readily absorbs the liquid fuel. The rising bubbles from theets, having passed through the body of gasoline, ascend to the uppervapor space of the tank and are drawn ofi' from the tank through thepipe 38 in accordance with the suction demands of the motor. I

When the liquid level of the fuel in the i tank 5 recedes below apredetermined minimum, the float 9 will fall, as indicated in Figure 3,thus opening the valve 8 and permitting the entrance of fuel through thepipe 6, and at the same time close the valves 23 against the air jets24. By closing the air jets, the entire force of the vacuum devolvesupon the gasoline liquid in the supply tank at the rear of theautomobile, and thus, this gasoline is more readily raised through thepipe 6 than would be the case if partial loss of this vacuum wereallowed to go on through the suction of air from the atmosphere throughthe airtube 22.

j The incoming liquid gasoline, striking upon the hot coil 34, will tendto become promptly vaporized. The pipe 33 and coil 35 are alsopreferably yof smaller pipe diameter than the large coil 31, it beingthe purpose for this large coil 31 to carry sufficient volume of hotliquid to supply both the coil 34 and the coil 32 without loss ofefnciency in either coil. It will be appreciated that the device iswholly independent in its operation of springs or other parts that areapt to become crystallized, and for this and other reasons, lessfaithful in operation. The construction is simple, the parts few, andthe operation of the device dependable. Low grade fuels may be morereadily and thoroughly vaporized by the use of the device, and gasolinemileage of motor vehicles is considerably raised. The device improvesthe operation of motor vehicles and renders the startingof internalcombustion engines much more prompt, particularly in cold weather. 'e

Although vaporization is necessarily slower in cold weather, overnightor after the motor vehicle has been standing for a considerable lengthof time, fuel vapors will have accumulated in a dense mass at the top ofthe vacuum tank, and as soon as the internal combustion motor isstarted, a `highly rich mixture will be promptly drawn into the motor tofacilitate starting.

It will be obvious that many changes in the construction, combinationand arrangement bar,

of parts could be made, which could be used without departing from thespirit of my invention, and I do not mean to limit the invention to suchdetails, except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

l. A vaporizing apparatus comprising a tank in communication with asource of liquid fuel supply and with the intake of an engine, an airconduit to the tank below the liquid level, a heating coil having largeand small portions in the air conduit, and a heating coil for theincoming fuel tapped into the large portion of the first heating coil.

2. A Vaporizing apparatus comprising a tank in communication with asource of liquid fuel supply and with the intake of an engine, an airconduit to the tank below the liquid level, a heating coil in the airtube, jets leading from the air tube, valves for the jets, a pivoted barcarrying the valves, a float, a rod depending from the float and coupledto said a valve extending upwardly from the float to control the inletof fuel and closed when the irst-named Valves are open, guide means'forthe last-named valve, and a compartment for the float.

DANIEL E. FOWLER.

